Innovative materials in a sustainable freight railway. Conor O’Neill Rail Vehicles Manager, NewRail Innotrans – Sept 2012

Materials Drivers Application – Passenger/freight. Design – Structural requirements. Cost – Economic considerations. Manufacturing – Materials availability, manufacturability. Repair/Maintenance – In-service issues. Recycling – End of life considerations.

Structural Materials – the choice… Mild steel. Aluminium alloys. High tensile steel. Composites.

Composite – can it be done? Current application: –Secondary structures, interiors. –Driver’s cab, aerodynamic cover. –Insulation. What’s next? –Primary structure applications. –Integrated design philosophy. –Step change in manufacturing

Composite – can it be done? D-CAB –EU FP6 project. –Existing design, new materials. –Fully composite. –Meets crashworthiness standards. Full scale prototype: –Mass saving: 40% –Part-count saving: 60% –Cost saving: 20%

Blockers… Cost –“Composites are expensive”. Mass –“Lightweighting is not our main priority”. Implementation –“We’re simply not set up to adopt composites”. Mindset –“Steel and aluminium have well documented, predictable properties and are easily designed”. End-of life –“How do you recycle composite materials?”

Benefits Lightweight –Energy reduction. –Increased load carrying capability. –Reduced CO 2 emissions. –Reduction in wheel/rail wear. Modular design. –Risk sharing partners. –Interchangability. –Built-in insulation. –Complex aerodynamic structures.

A shift to freight Increased demand to reduce the mass of rail vehicles. Move to high speed freight? –Faster, lighter, more aerodynamic, … Supplier development. –Increased use of composites. –Supply chain shift. Back to the future?!

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